frenchiepuppies.com WE HAVE A NEW ONE: Faith Steffensmeier AKA Wendy Laymon AKA Faith Laymon, etc. SOLD A PUPPY with cogenital defects...collapsing t

10th of Oct, 2011 by User800211

We did not do our homework. If we had, we would have found all of the negative publicity on french puppies.com and Wendy Laymon, Faith Laymon, Faith Steffensmeier, etc. We purchased a puppy from this woman 6 mos. ago. After 3 vets ( two who are french bulldog specialists), the puppy has a collapsing or too small trachea. Upon verifying this through much delay this breeder has done nothing. We didn't even know a Wendy/Faith Laymon. We made our check payable to Faith Steffensmeier. When the AKC papers arrived in the mail guess who was listed as the breeder?? YES, Wendy Laymon. Shes been in jail, moved from state to state, been investigated by the humane society, the AG, and the BBB. How is she still allowed to get away with this unethical, immoral sale of puppies? She's lucky this did not happen in NY because the laws are quite different. It's easy to get caught in a sale with her because she sounds reasonable and fair. She also quotes scripture which makes her seem even more ethical/moral. ("remember, God is good") She should read some of her own quotes. She is willing to do nothing for us even after having us fax vet reports and all other time delay BS. We have spent over $3000 and may incur more debt over time. That's if the puppy lives a full life. She hacks and gags up white frothy saliva 5x daily, and is exhausted after even a short run. She pretends to care but when it comes to action she hides behind her contract or just counts on the fact that most people can't or won't pursue her legally. We are going to try. This is the 50th story I have read like this about her. We were actually being reasonable but she would not even call back. When people pay this kind of money for a quality puppy, this should not happen. When we told her this she said: "walking across the street is no guarantee you won't be hit". This is the intellect we are dealing with.

Track this Report 11 Comments | Post a Comment

Comments

4723 days ago by Truthbeknown

I have a 5 year health guarantee on hereditary defects. i have offered to replace the puppy several times. I offered before they ran up all the vet bills. I still will repalce the puppy any time they wish to have it replaced. They refuse to accept my offer. I even told them the puppy could be repalced with a different puppy any time in the life of the puppy because they let me know about the defect within the 5 year health guarantee limit. I even told them that if the puppy dies of this defect, even at age 25, i will replace it. so they have a lifetime guarantee on this puppy for a free replacement if it dies due to this genetic fault. I do not know how to be more fair than that. i have the health guarantee for situations just like this because there is not a perfect world and sometimes unexpected things happen. i still hold the offer open to them. thank you

4723 days ago by Truthbeknown

1.
Thunderstorm Phobia
If your French Bulldog buries his head into your side every time it thunders or dives under the bed whenever it starts to rain these are telltale signs that your Frenchie is terrified of storms. Some owners are willing to simply put up with symptoms of storm phobias like hiding, trembling, whining, drooling, and pacing. In more severe cases, panic-stricken dogs have been known to chew furniture, tear drapes, break windows, and more during thunderstorms. All instances point to a terrified, unhappy dog.
Causes
Storm phobias are one of the most common behavioral problems dog owners face; their cause is uncertain. Behaviorists are uncertain as to what part of the storm terrifies dogs most. They could be reacting to lightning flashes, the sound of thunder, wind blowing around the house, or the sound of rain on the roof. There are documented cases where some dogs even start to pace and whine half an hour or more before a storm. It’s been theorized that they may be reacting to a sudden drop in air pressure or the electrical charge of the air.
What to do
Talk to your veterinarian and they’ll be able to help you develop a program to gradually retrain your Bulldog by gradually, gently helping him adjust to storms through behavior modification. Technically called “systematic desensitization, ” this involves exposing the storm-phobic Frenchie to some gentle reminders of a thunderstorm, such as a very soft tape recording of thunder or a flashing light, and rewarding the French Bulldog with lots of treats, attention, and other positive reinforcement. Over time, the intensity of the stimulus is increased, and only calm behavior is rewarded. Get professional guidance, either from a veterinarian or a vet behavior specialist, before you begin this process. If frightening stimuli is introduced too quickly you could possibly end up making the phobia worse.
If gentle, patient retraining doesn’t help your Frenchie, some prescriptions can. Your veterinarian can prescribe one of several anti-anxiety or antidepressant medications to help your Bulldog remain calm during storms. You can also make sure your French Bulldog has a warm, safe “den” to retreat to when the weather gets too scary. You can try padding a crate with blankets or clearing a space underneath your bed. Make sure that it’s somewhere your pet can get out of whenever he wants. A panicked dog can do a lot of damage to his crate and himself if he’s confined.
Most important, though, is that your treat your Frenchie gently and kindly when he is afraid. Don’t cuddle and reassure him, because that will reward poor behavior, but definitely don’t punish him for it either. Be calm and provide him with a safe, familiar place where he can feel secure and ride out the storm.

4723 days ago by Truthbeknown

Frenchie Show Standards
Frenchies are one of the most noble of all the dog breeds. No wonder owners enjoy showing off their French Bulldog with such enthusiasm. Every little Frenchie is adorable with their own unique personality traits, quirks and temperaments; and in every instance lovable and all too eager to please their owners. If you have ever considered showing off your Frenchie but have seriously pondered if your French Bulldog has what it takes to compete, this article attempts to answer those questions for you.

First lets look at the general appearance which should be that of an active, intelligent muscular French Bulldog with a heavy structure, a smooth coat, compact built and of medium or small structure. They should have an alert, curious, and interested expression. Compactly built means a short bodied Frenchie as juxtaposed to breeds of similar height. The Frenchie’s legs and body should show strong muscular development. The expression should never be dull and reflect intelligence. This is a hallmark feature of French Bulldogs.

All points are well distributed and bear good relation to each other; no feature being in prominence from either excess or lack of quality that the Frenchie appears poorly proportioned. They have a substantial amount of bone for a dog of its size.

HEAD

The head should be large and square. Their dark eyes should be wide apart and set low down in the skull, as far from their characteristic bat ears as possible. In lighter colored French Bulldogs, lighter eye colors are acceptable. When they look forward there shouldn’t be any white showing. The skull top should be flat between the ears but the forehead is not flat but slightly rounded. The muzzle is broad, deep and well-laid back; the cheek muscles are well developed. There is a hollow groove between the eyes with heavy wrinkles forming a soft roll over an extremely short nose. The nostrils are broad with a well-defined line between them.

Neck, Top-line Body

The neck is thick with loose skin at the throat. A roach back with a slight fall close behind the shoulders strong and short broad at the shoulders and narrowing at the loins is ideal. This portion of the back, because of its curve of a wheel, was originally named “wheel back”; now more commonly known as “roach back.” The body is short and well-rounded. The Frenchie’s chest is broad, deep and full; well-ribbed with the body tucked up. The tail is either straight or screwed (but not curly), short, hung low, thick root and fine tip; carried low in repose.

The top line of the neck a slight but graceful arch beginning at the junction of the neck and the skull and extending, but gradually decreasing to about half way down the neck. It then forms a short curve to the withers (part of the back of a dog or any other quadruped).

The correct body formation is essential to the health, strength, and vitality of your French Bulldog as well as its true type and character. To be in good proportion and balance with the large, square head, the body should be short and broad in front. The chest should be deep and capacious with its forward ribs well rounded to enhance the desired broad fronted appearance and let down between the heavily boned forelegs. The brisket region, or the chest and ribs, should begin to taper at the beginning of the abdominal cavity forming a convex curve up to the small, well-tucked up waist following the top line of the body. This broad deep formation is necessary to provide plenty of room for the heart, lungs, and other internal organs.

The back of the French Bulldog should be short for its height with shoulders, chest, loin, and hips closely and firmly united to convey the impression of strength. While broad at the shoulders, beyond the ribs the body should begin to narrow especially at the loins. Just behind the shoulders there should be a slight downward curve to the back gradually rising to the top of the loins. From here the spine should curve downward until it reaches the tail.

FOREQUARTERS

Forelegs are short, stout, straight, muscular, and set wide apart. Dew claws may be removed. A dew claw is similar to a thumb — complete with a toenail — but it grows a bit higher up on the paw than the rest of the toenails on that paw and it never comes in contact with the ground. Feet are moderate in size, compact, and firmly set. Toes compact, well split up, with high knuckles and short stubby nails.

The French Bulldog should have good wide front. The space created between the front legs, the chest, and the ground should be nearly square. To exhibit this characteristic, the forelegs must be widely placed, well-formed, of proper length and muscular, with a good formation of the shoulders and elbow. The patterns are straight with the feet only slightly turned out.

Width may be produced by misplacement at the elbows creating incorrect movement. This, combined with feet turned outward, is often called a “fiddle front.” A too narrow front is not in balance with the other structural aspects of French Bulldogs and does not allow for the breadth of chest desired.

A compact, muscular, heavily boned dog such as the French Bulldog need to have compact, well-padded feet to support its weight. The foot is medium size, well split up, with high knuckles. Weak pasterns and splayed toes are both unattractive and unsound. For those who are not in the know, a pastern is the leg bone directly above the foot in the front legs.

HINDQUARTERS

Hind legs are strong, muscular, longer than the forelegs so as to elevate the loins above the shoulders. Feet are moderate in size, compact, and firmly set. Toes should be compact, well split-up, with high knuckles and short, stubby nails; hind feet are slightly longer than forefeet.

Strong, muscular hindquarters are necessary to provide the drive necessary for good movement. This movement is an aspect of conformation which is often given little consideration in French Bulldogs, however to be the active, athletic dog it should be, a Frenchie must exhibit sound structure throughout. A French Bulldog should have legs that, when seen from the rear, drop straight from the hips to the ground with a stifle and feet turned slightly outward. From the side view, it should exhibit moderate angulation. A dog with this conformation stands firmly and moves gracefully as desired.

Hocks with a the too straight stifle of this conformation are usually weak or double jointed, inclined to bend backwards, and create a stilted gait in the rear. Frenchies with back feet rotated inward often exhibit a gait with back feet crossing each other when moving which is undesirable.

COAT

The coat is moderately fine, brilliant, short, and smooth. Skin is soft and loose, especially at the head and shoulders where wrinkles form.

COLOR

Acceptable colors — all brindle, fawn, white, brindle and white, and any other color except those which constitute disqualification. All colors are acceptable with the exception of solid black, mouse, liver, black and tan, black and white, and white with black are all disqualifications. Black means black without a trace of brindle.

Many French Bulldogs may appear to be black, but it is likely there will be at least a few lighter colored hairs when closely examined. This is common in the breed, dogs bearing these markings qualify as brindle.

Let’s talk about some other interesting noteworthy colors deserving of further exploration.

Black brindles are also known as seal brindles. Your Frenchie may appear black, but closer inspection reveals a few lighter colored hairs. In the reverse brindle coloring this pattern shows fawn predominantly above the black brindle pattern. The color and patters on these Frenchies in the dog shown, there is also a black mask present. Tiger brindle is a well-suited term reserved for dogs with a coat comprising a regular pattern of alternating fawn and black stripes, hence the name sake. A brindle pied has brindled areas where fawn is overlaid with black striping and interspersed with white areas. These markings can be slight, or predominant.

These patterns are as rare as they are gorgeous. Frenchie colors are as diverse as the colorings of a rainbow and just as exciting. A black masked red fawn is so named due to the rich red hues of the fawn base coat. Fawns range in shades from brick red to honey to lemon yellow. In black masked fawn Frenchies, the base color of the coat varies in shade from red to tan. The mask refers to the marking patterns on the face. Red fawn pied French Bulldogs versions are sometimes called fawn pied, lemon pied or honey pied. A mask may be associated with this pattern.

Have you ever seen a blue French Bulldog? And we don’t refer to pets exhibiting tendencies toward depression, we mean the color. Believe it or not, there are even blue Frenchies which are characterized by brindle markings. These dogs have a “grey” hue, and base coat color with a solid blue-gray hue, hence the term “blue”. Blue Pied Frenchies are a result of the “d” or dilute gene. In this form, the dilute factor has caused the black hairs to become blue. Pigment on nose and pads is also a grayish blue in color, and eyes are often blue or yellowish gold. Blue fawn is a variation of blue, with coloring being seen most clearly in the masking points on the face. Typically they have green/grey eyes.

GAIT

Correct gait is double tracking with reach and drive; the action is unrestricted, free and vigorous. Because the French Bulldog has a broader front than rear, the hind feet will track inside the steps of the front with graceful and powerful movements.

TEMPERAMENT

Frenchies are well-behaved, adaptable, and comfortable companions with an affectionate nature and even disposition. Generally they are active, alert, and playful, but not unduly boisterous. The French Bulldog’s bright, intelligent, lively personality makes it a wonderful companion and these traits should be apparent in its expression and demeanor.

DISQUALIFICATIONS

If you are serious about showing off your little Frenchie, please consider these disqualifiers from competition.

Any alteration other than removal of dew claws.
Over 28 pounds.
Only bat ears are acceptable.
Nose other than black, except in the case of lighter dogs where a lighter colored nose is acceptable but not desirable.
Solid black, mouse, liver, black and white, white with black; black means black without a trace of brindle.

Remember that all Frenchies are deserving of their owners love and attention. Any sort of deviation from the specific modifications above doesn’t mean that your Frenchie is of inferior quality, all it means is that he or she isn’t primed as show material. Either route, enjoy your Frenchie and well-spent time together.

4723 days ago by Truthbeknown

What to do if Your Frenchie is Lost
Finding Your Lost Dog
Running away is a common fear all dog owners have. Because some breeds have a higher theft rate than others, owners of these at risk categories should go to greater lengths to ensure that their pet isn’t another statistic. A pet may disappear for any number of reasons, running away from home, taking flight out of fear, or theft. What do you do now that your worst fear has become a reality? The first thing you need to do is to keep your wits about you. If you take these steps, you’ll increase the likelihood of getting your pet back.
Preventative measures go a long way. Don’t wait until after the fact that they’re gone, get an identification tag NOW. Don’t wait, act immediately. Passively waiting several days anticipating your pet’s return decreases the chance that you will ever be reunited. The quicker you begin your search for your lost pet, the better the odds are of finding him.
The best thing that you can possibly do is microchip your Frenchie. The best defense is a good offense. This will be your most valuable tool in the arsenal of finding your beloved French Bulldog should the both of you ever become separated. The microchip is a transponder the size of a grain of rice. vThis permanent radio-frequency identification chip is usually placed under the dog’s skin over the dog’s shoulder and is read by a chip scanner. The process is quick and no more painful than a vaccination, the chip can’t get lost, the number is unique, and the owner’s name and address are available on regional and national data bases so the dog can be returned quickly and safely.
If your pet becomes lost or runs away from your residence, stop, think and reason; then do a thorough search of your house or apartment, including accessible ventilation areas and behind or inside of large appliances like dryers or refrigerators. Always keep the dog’s perspective, if you were that size where would you be hiding or have fallen into?
Failing that, next search the neighborhood where your pet was lost, talk to residents and leave your phone number and description of your pet with them. Call your pet’s name while shaking a box of food or bag of favorite treats. Stop, look, and listen for sounds of your pet. Do this especially at night since some pets may be afraid to come out in the daylight. Place a piece of clothing outside your home so your pet can ‘smell home.’
If you have a computer or access to one, make up a quick flyer with a recent picture of your pet and place them in a wide radius around the neighborhood. Be diverse in their placement; include post offices, libraries, pet supply stores, veterinary offices, and grocery stores. Be aware of scams, NEVER divulge all of your pet’s identifying characteristics in the flyer, keep some things from the public. Have the finder tell the characteristics you intentionally omitted.
Don’t delay calling veterinary clinics in the area, humane societies, animal control, and the police. Since people place ads in the “lost and found” or “pet” sections of newspapers be sure to daily check these postings. Place an add yourself offering a reward. More people than not will respond to adds offering rewards for returned pets.
Go to the animal shelters yourself; not all of them will give you information by phone. Some shelters post their finds and captures on the internet with daily revisions. This route may save time and prevent you from going on a wild goose-chase when your efforts can be more productively spent in searching for your pet.
Call your local radio stations. Some radio stations will broadcast lost pet information for free. Give them detailed information on where the pet was lost, its description, and how to contact you.
Hopefully you’ll never have to use this information, but it’s nice to know and have it handy just in case.
Factors Influencing Distances Traveled
So far we’ve given you practical advice on reconnecting you to your lost pet. This in-depth practical knowledge will help you hone in faster on your little lost one. There’s a lot to take into account, all factors considered, when searching for a lost pet. These major factors influence the distance lost dogs travel: temperament, circumstances, weather, terrain, appearance, and population density.
Dog Temperament
How a dog behaves toward strangers influences the distance they travel before someone intervenes and rescues him. There are three primary behavioral categories into which lost dogs fall:
Gregarious dogs, because of their nature, are more inclined to go to the first person who calls them. Depending on the terrain and the population density where the dog was lost, they will generally be found close to where they escaped from. Friendly dogs are often adopted by the individuals who find them.
Aloof dogs are wary of strangers and will initially avoid human contact. Once the initial fear is overcome, often times spurred on by hunger, human contact can be initiated. Though these dogs can travel great distances, eventually they can be enticed with food and patience. They are often recovered by rescue group volunteers; their wariness can be misinterpreted as abuse. Since these dogs are not recovered for weeks or months after their escape, their physical appearance of thinness with accompanying injuries gives them the impression that they are homeless, unloved, and abused.
Fearful dogs are more inclined to travel farther and suffer a higher mortality rate from passing cars. Due to their cowering, fearful behavior, it is often assumed that they were abused. Even if the dog has ID tags, the rescuers may refuse to contact the owners. Some of these terrified dogs will even run from their owners. It may be necessary to use other dogs to capture them or to use baited dog traps.
Circumstances Surrounding the Disappearance
A dog that digs out from a yard to explore will tend to travel a short distance before she is found – meandering and doubling back. On the other hand a dog that bolts in panic because of fireworks or thunder will take off at a blind run for several miles.
Weather
A dog that escapes on a warm, summer day may travel farther than one who escapes in a snowstorm. Extreme weather conditions will decrease the distances that lost dogs travel.
Terrain
An escaped dog from a residential area won’t travel as far as one who escapes in a mountainous terrain. Fences create barriers and will influence a dog’s travel since they tend to take a path of least resistance.
Appearance of the Dog
The breed can often determine how quickly the dog will be rescued. Most people are less likely to rescue a dangerous breed but are more likely to pick up a Frenchie. Size matters too, people are more inclined to pick up your Frenchie since they not only look vulnerable, they are easier to transport and house than larger dogs. Additionally, people are more likely to rescue a purebred rather than a mixed-breed dog. Motorists who see a mixed-breed trotting down the sidewalk tend to think that the dog belongs in the neighborhood or is a homeless stray. But when people see a Frenchie, their inclination is to rationalize that he must be a lost pet since he is a purebred dog.
Population Density.
When dogs escape into densely populated areas, their chances of being found close to where they escaped from are increased. However, in low population areas, they tend to travel further and their chances of being found decrease. A dog who escapes in the middle of the night will travel farther than a dog who gets out during rush-hour traffic.
Rescuer Behaviors That Create Problems
People who find stray dogs often misinterpret the dog’s behavior. They assume that the cowering, fearful dog was abused when, in fact, the dog has a xenophobic temperament and has been shy and fearful since she was a puppy, due to genetics and puppyhood experiences. Dogs found in rural areas are often assumed to be “dumped” and homeless; many rescuers never think that this could be a lost dog. Some people who find stray dogs without a collar automatically assume that the dog is homeless and seek to place the dog instead of finding their rightful owners. The local shelter is usually the first place where people search for their lost dogs but is typically the last place where someone who finds a stray will take him due to the fear of euthanasia.
Created Problems Through Owner Behavior
People, through their actions or lack thereof, often inhibit their chances of recovering their lost dogs. Some have a wait and see approach believing their dog will return home. By the time they start actively searching, those vital first few hours, during which they might have located the dog or witnesses who saw the dog, are gone. Others who develop tunnel vision focus on wrong theories. They might assume that their dog was stolen and sold for research when, in fact, their dog may have been rescued and put up for adoption through a local agency. They experience grief avoidance and abandon the search feeling helpless and alone. They become discouraged by the rebuking of others who tell them “it was just a dog” or inform the owner that they’ll never find their lost.
In addition, the level of human-animal bond will influence the recovery efforts of a lost dog. People with strong ties will go to extremes to find their lost dog. They tirelessly visit all the local shelters, post flyers, and contact rescue groups while maintaining a full-time job and other family commitments. People with a weak human-animal bond quickly become discouraged, assume they will never see their dog again, and will stop looking.

4723 days ago by Truthbeknown

Get Ready for ‘HumaneWatch’

There’s no denying it: The gargantuan Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is now the animal rights industry’s richest and most powerful player. HSUS is exercising its prohibition-minded influence in every corner of America, over everything from the pets in our homes to the eggs on our plates. HSUS pursues a PETA-like agenda with a budget and seriousness that PETA itself has never been able to match.

Ohio provides a timely example. Last November, Ohio voters voted overwhelmingly (with 63% “yes” votes) to amend the State Constitution by creating a Livestock Care Standards Board. All issues of “animal care and well-being” in the Buckeye State are now entrusted to this Board. But that presents a problem for HSUS, which would rather abolish livestock farming than see it responsibly regulated.

As we predicted back in September—before “Issue 2” even got a vote—HSUS is now moving to supersede the judgment of Ohio’s livestock authorities with its own ballot initiative. Today HSUS officially put the wheels in motion. If this counter-attack succeeds, the Livestock Care Standards Board will be required to adopt HSUS-recommended standards, whether or not they are in the best interests of animals.

Next week we will re-launch HumaneWatch.org, and you are cordially invited to lend a hand as it grows. HumaneWatch will be a blog, a document library, a rogues’ gallery, a historical resource, and more. Our Director of Research will be sharing what we know, and inviting you to do the same. No topic will be off-limits, and your comments will be welcome. (Yes, Mr. Pacelle. Even yours.)

So today we’re putting out the call: If you have anything in your files or on your computer that concerns the Humane Society of the United States (no matter how insignificant it may seem to you), we would like to see it. Most of what is known about HSUS is squirreled away in filing cabinets, or lost to history but for the memories of a few persistent Americans. But that’s about to change.

We want fundraising mailers (including forwarded e-mails), old tax returns, advertisements, magazine back-issues, correspondence, legal papers, photos, contemporaneous accounts of historical events—you name it. Anything related to HSUS or any of its many subsidiary groups.

We’ve set up two easy “drop boxes” so you can start flooding us with anything you want to share. Anonymous submissions are welcome (we will take pains to authenticate everything before using it). We promise to protect your privacy.

You can e-mail information about HSUS to [email protected] (a robustly virus-protected address), or send postal mail to “HumaneWatch, ” P.O. Box 34555, Washington DC 20043.

Materials sent to the P.O. Box will not be returned, so please only send copies of anything you’d like to keep. If you have large archives to share, please drop us an e-mail for a discussion of how we can take it off your hands at no cost to you.

We’ll let you know when the new website goes live. In the meantime, please gear up to help us ask some tough questions, and provide some answers.

Because even a dog-watcher needs a watchdog

4723 days ago by Truthbeknown

Dial “D” for Deception?

We told you last week about how HSUS has contracted extensively with a professional dial-for-dollars firm called the Share Group, even though, year after year, HSUS entered into arrangements whereby it kept pennies on the dollar of the money raised in its name, while the for-profit fundraiser hoarded the lion’s share. Donors’ doggie dollars simply weren’t winding up with animals in need. And HSUS signed off on it.

We flipped over another fundraiser rock, and we’ve uncovered something else startling.

HSUS’s factory-fundraising machine also has contracted with a firm called Donor Services Group (DSG). (For some reason, all of these fundraising outfits have remarkably bland names.)

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania reached a “consent agreement” with DSG in July, whereby DSG agreed to pay Pennsylvania a fine of $14, 000. Why? According to Pennsylvania, DSG's February reply to a state investigative subpoena “indicated that [DSG] employed individuals who have been convicted by a court of a felony or misdemeanor involving dishonesty or arising from conduct involving charitable solicitation.” According to the settlement, DSG “employed nine (9) individuals who were convicted of felonies or misdemeanors involving dishonesty to solicit monetary contributions from Pennsylvania residents.”

That’s right—a fundraising firm hired by HSUS used criminals who had convictions relating to dishonesty.

That’s not HSUS’s fault, of course, although we’d frown if HSUS continued to do business with this firm. To our knowledge, HSUS is still using DSG’s services—its contract with DSG goes through October 30. And the contract started in November 2009—so it appears possible that convicted criminals were calling up old ladies to try to get some doggie dollars.

What bothers us is that it’s a second firm with a questionable record that HSUS has used. Share Group, you might remember, entered into many settlements over the years with state authorities after charity regulators alleged that the group failed to follow the rules.

What’s more, included in HSUS’s contract with DSG was a copy of a sample script used by the company when fundraising on HSUS’s behalf. When asked by potential donors how much of their contribution goes to HSUS, the DSG caller is supposed to reply, in part:

Trying to estimate what percentage the charity might receive based off our flat fee is difficult since I don’t know all the information about how the Humane Society of the United States budgets fundraising costs, but it could be approximately 40% - 50% over two years.

Really? Because included with the contract is a statement (see page 2) that HSUS will get just 2 percent of the proceeds from DSG’s campaign. That’s right: 98 percent of the money raised goes to DSG. And yet, DSG callers are supposed to tell potential donors that HSUS’s take “could be approximately 40% - 50% over two years.”

And remember: both DSG and HSUS signed off on the contract. According to the contract, HSUS has to approve all scripts, which presumably includes this sample.

4723 days ago by Truthbeknown

Four-Fifths of One Percent

One of the first things we did when HumaneWatch was launched last February was figure out what the Humane Society of the United States was doing with the nine-figure collection plate it passes every year. We were surprised to learn that according to HSUS's publicly available tax return for 2008 (the most recent year for which data was available at the time), HSUS devoted less than one-half of one percent of its budget to directly funding hands-on pet shelters.

Now, however, HSUS’s 2009 tax return is also a matter of public record. HSUS ponied up a little bit more that year for local pet rescues and shelters, but it's hardly worth shouting about. In all, HSUS shared less than 0.8 percent of its money with pet shelters in 2009. Some of those shelters share the “humane society” name with their richer (distant) cousin, but the vast majority of pet shelters in the United States received nothing.

We examined every outgoing grant HSUS reported making in 2009, and made a determination about whether or not the recipient was a hands-on pet shelter. Here are the numbers:

HSUS 2009 budget:

$121, 725, 153

All HSUS outgoing grants:

6, 744, 923

HSUS grants to hands-on pet shelters:

977, 296

So only four-fifths of one percent (0.80%) of the money HSUS collected in 2009—much of it in response to TV ads that begged for money to “save” dogs and cats—actually went to the community-based organizations doing that work. (HSUS runs a handful of “animal care centers, ” but no dog or cat shelters and no pet adoption programs.)

It’s also interesting to note that HSUS did give away over five percent of its budget in 2009. But less than 15 percent of what the group distributed made it to a hands-on shelter organization. Much of the rest went to subsidize the previously “insolvent” Humane Society International ($2.75 million), and to run political ballot initiative campaigns, including those in Missouri ($450, 000) and Ohio ($1.5 million).

HSUS does deserve credit for a single grant of $284, 625 for the construction of a new pet shelter in Louisiana's St. Bernard Parish. But that grant accounts for 30 percent of all its shelter giving for the year, and sadly, this sort of giving is the exception, not the rule.

We’ve posted HSUS’s accounting of its 2009 outgoing grants—with the shelter grants highlighted—so everyone can see our math. Feel free to quibble in the comments section below.

One final word about our criteria: We gave HSUS credit for subsidizing a few horse and rabbit rescues in addition to the dog and cat shelters. But we left out grants to “spay/neuter” organizations and private veterinary practices that fund pet sterilizations without running their own pet shelters. (Had we included them, the proportion of HSUS's money going where it should still wouldn't have topped 1 percent.)

It will surprise many of you to learn that the Humane Society of the United States isn’t primarily in the business of funding humane societies. HSUS has historically considered these “societies” to be part of its “constituency, ” but it’s not funding them with any sense of urgency. And in the meantime, HSUS’s $191 million endowment (part of which is invested in the stock market) continues to earn money hand over fist.

For what, you ask?

That’s an excellent question. The 6 to 8 million dogs and cats entering shelters this year (according to HSUS’s own estimate), and the people who care for them—and sometimes have to euthanize them for lack of space and funding—are entitled to an answer.

Note: The table above reflects updated numbers

4723 days ago by Truthbeknown

Feb 02 2011

HSUS Shelters its Millions While Millions of Shelter Pets Die

This morning the HumaneWatch Document Library has a new addition: A 2009 Consolidated Financial Statement showing the financial ins and outs of the Humane Society of the United States and its family of affiliated organizations.

If you’re not a math or accounting whiz, here’s the bottom line: The HSUS empire was worth $191.3 million at the end of 2009.

HSUS's gargantuan balance sheet includes $148 million in investments ($66 million of which are in hedge funds). HSUS's pension funds alone are valued at $18.5 million. (In 2009 the organization socked 2.6 million doggie-dollars away for its executives' retirement.)

Meanwhile, our analysis of HSUS’s 2009 IRS tax return determined that the group shared less than one percent of its budget with hands-on pet shelters. How a "humane society" in name only continues to get away with this is a question that begs for an honest answer.

HSUS states on its own website that between 6 and 8 million dogs and cats enter pet shelters every year. Why isn’t HSUS doing more to care for these animals? Does HSUS's interest in them end when Wayne Pacelle is done shooting his TV commercials? HSUS could easily fund shelters in all 50 states, but it doesn’t. (And we're not talking about PR exercises disguised as penny-ante spay/neuter grants.)

Homeless dogs and cats don’t care about political posturing, or “systematic” issues, or giving chickens the “right” to sue people. They just want to be fed and have a roof over their heads, and to stay alive long enough to be adopted.

How 'bout it, HSUS? We're still willing to shut this website down (and yank our Times Square billboards) if you'll just agree to share 50% of your money with the pet shelters that do all the heavy lifting.

4723 days ago by Truthbeknown

Monday, October 17, 2011
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The modern animal rights movement is not what it seems. Today's activists have perverted once-sensible animal welfare goals by putting animals ahead of human beings and employing a "by any means necessary" philosophy to achieve their goals of "total animal liberation."

Led by PETA, the Humane Society of the United States, and other activist groups, the animal liberation movement does not seek to improve animals' lives. Its goal is to place unnecessary restrictions on ordinary people like you.

Today's activists want to force you to eat nothing but beans and greens; and wear nothing but cotton, rayon, and rubber. They want to ban hunting, fishing, zoos, rodeos, and circuses. Some want to permanently end Kosher slaughter. They even want to outlaw the use of animals in the search for cures for AIDS, Parkinson's Disease, and cancer. And a growing number take the law into their own hands, crossing the line from peaceful protest to violent crime.

It's a terrible scam. The world deserves to know the truth.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Is Food The Earth's Worst Enemy? (10/14/11)
The radical Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) can’t seem to go a day without lecturing the 99 percent of the country that doesn’t share its vegan agenda. This time, its corporate “outreach” manager is promoting an NPR report that says that, among other things, that farming accounts for a third of all greenhouse gas emissions globally. (The activist’s take, of course, is that we should all eat less meat.) To call this figure questionable would be like calling Death Valley “warm.” The Intergovernmental...
read more...

Old Spice Guy 1, PETA 0 (10/13/11)
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is at it again. We’ve shown how this radical animal-rights group uses small share holdings to force companies to vote on its proposals and to distribute its message to shareholders. One of PETA’s latest gambits was aimed at Procter and Gamble (a company whose SEC proxy statement notes that PETA owns a mere 56 shares of common stock). Well, the votes are in, and it looks like the fine folks who brought you the Old Spice Guy are going...
read more...

4551 days ago by SecretSar143

DO NOT PURCHASE FRENCH BULLDOGS FROM FRENCHIEPUPPIES.COM

First off google the breeder's name Wendy Faith Laymon.
Also call the missouri department of agriculture and they can tell you theirselves what kind of person she is and what kind of puppy mill she's running.

We recently purchased a puppy from her and spent 1800 plus 300 for shipping. "Faith" informed us he is completely healthy and has no problems. Upon recieving him, we found out the first week he is COMPLETELY deaf (she had him for 10 weeks and claimed she never knew). After some research, he wasn't the only deaf puppy she's sold. He also had Giardia (an intestinal bacteria they get from being in dirty places) Kennell Cough, blood in his urine, yeast in his ears, AND came down with Demodectic mange!

Everything is treatable (except the deafness) but we were furious that she never told us ANYTHING! The deafness, and mange are congenital, so she is not breeding healthy dogs.

Other than his health issues, she sent us an unsterile microchip that looked like the needle casing was chewed up by a dog, with the akc registration papers torn up as well. There were no papers with his vaccines or his pedigree. When we tried to tell Faith about all of these conditions, she tried to make up a number of excuses. Then she tried avoiding our calls and refused to return our messages. It got SO bad that we had to contact a lawyer. When you spend all this money on an "akc show potential dog" you expect it to be an AKC Show potential dog. Now we cannot breed him or show him even if we wanted to because of his genetic defects.

We had a HUGE issue with the mange. She asked for an estimate from our vet for treatment. She then disregarded our estimate and got some medication from her vet and mailed it to us. The AVMA law states that no veterinarian can prescribe a medication for a pet they have not seen for that condition. At this point, our frenchie was on week 1 of treatment from our vet. We called her veterinarian that was on the drug label and they told me not to use the medicine because they did not prescribe it to my dog. They prescribed it to her dog with mange. So now she thinks she has a degreee in veterinary medicine and thinks she can treat pets now.

Like I said research her name Wendy Faith Laymon, and call missouri's department of agriculture. Also look up Missouri's dirty dozen! You will find her on there.

We need to shut her down, she is breeding dogs with bad health!!